Dominic Lucchesi is a great friend of the library. He's also a District 1 resident and a worker-owner of Pedal Express - the East Bay's only bicycle courier company. Monday through Friday, you can find him riding the streets of Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville making deliveries of all kinds. On the weekends, you can find himpicking over the comic book collection at the Temescal Branch Library, or checking out something useful at the Tool Lending Library.

How much do you love your library? Check out these amazing, beautiful, heartfelt, heartwarming, and sometimes hilarious Valentines we received from some of our library users. They were presented to City Council last night, and today I want to present them to you. Add your voice! Why do you love your library? Leave a comment! Let us know!

After all that, too much time has passed since I brought you more items found in library books (and around the library). So, here you go! Thanks so much to all the Oakland Public Library staff for sending me their treasures. I hope you enjoy these as

Come and see us Monday night at the New Parkway where we will, once again, be a part of Nerd Nite East Bay. This month we'll be learning about data, exoplanets and Affordable Care. If you want a sneak peek of the Reading List, just check out our Pinterest Board! Aliens and Nate Silver and Obama, oh my!

Today I have the great pleasure of introducing you to Miranda Everitt, a library user who agreed to answer all my questions (for which I am very grateful).

Miranda, who grew up in Ohio and has lived in Oakland for 3 years, is currently a grad student at UC Berkeley working on a master's degree in public policy. In the meantime she is working at The Food Labor Research Center, studying working conditions in grocery stores throughout the state. Before that she worked at a food bank, did a turn in AmeriCorps, and wrote headlines at The Oakland Tribune. Good stuff!

I asked Miranda a bunch of questions and she gave some amazing answers, that you just have to read!

Students at Mills College have created these great radio stories about our libraries.

The library was very excited to partner with students at Mills College and KALW this past semester to work on radio stories about our branches and services. The students, who were studying public radio reporting, had the opportunity to create a radio spot focusing on an Oakland library.

Many of our branches were highlighted and this series showcases some of the exciting and meaningful services that the library and our staff provides every day. I encourage everyone to give them a listen. We are so proud of our staff and all the things they offer the community!

Here are more items from our collection of things found in books and in the library. Enjoy!

You may have already seen the awesome article in the San Francisco Chronicle about all the interesting things found in library books and at the library and how we feature them here on our blog. Super cool, right? I've had a lot of good response to the article - it seems like many people enjoy finding things left behind in books and other places. Have you ever lost something in a book? Found something unexpected?

In any case, this is an ideal time for another post of found items. I've got so much more to share!

As the holidays approach and people are gathering their piles of new devices, I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite apps with you! Maybe you'll find something fun you didn't know about!

Some of these are library-specific, some are useful, if not library-specific, and some are just for fun!

Should we start library? Ok, let's! Of course I'm sure you already know about all of these, right? Just in case, though:

Freegal - An app that allows you to stream and download music for free using your library card

Zinio - This app lets you read digital versions of the newest edition of many magazines, again for free using your library card

Beyond the Book Shelf is a 15 minute film about the library. Check it out!

Check out this amazing 15 minute documentary about the Oakland Public Library: Beyond the Book Shelf. Including interviews with staff and patrons, the filmmakers show the library as an "emerging tool in the community." This film is the creation of incredibly talented library staff, and it deserves to be shared with everyone.

What do you think? What has the library done for you? What do you see as the library's role in the community? Check out what these people had to say and comment to add to the conversation!

Check out these amazing items, all found in library books and around the library.

It's been awhile since my first "Found" post, and it seems like the right time to show off some more library treasures. All of these items were found around the Oakland Public Library by library staff - many of them in books, but some just in the building.

Which one is your favorite? I like to picture the people who left these items behind, and to make up stories in my head about what each of these might mean. Any ideas?